The Tesla Model Y is one of Australia’s most highly anticipated electric cars this year. And as a result, the first mid-size SUV from the popular EV brand has a waitlist of up to a year already! So, let’s take a look at why the Tesla Model Y may be the perfect car for you.

Overview:

Variants: Rear Wheel Drive and Performance

Range: 455km (RWD) and 514km (Performance)

Charging time and ports:

For the RWD it will take 8 hours at 240V (standard charger) 4.4 hours at 240V (with 72A high power charger connector option). For the Performance 11.8 hours at 240V (standard charger) 6.6 hours at 240V (with 72A high power charger connector option). Both offer a Type 2 charger as well as a CSS Supercharger.

Battery: 82.0 kWh

Power: 324 kW (RWD) and 413 kW (Performance)

Efficiency (Vehicle consumption): 141 Wh/km (RWD) and 181 Wh/km (Performance)

Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 6.9s (RWD) and 0-100 km/h in 3.7s (Performance)

Top Speed: 217 km/h (RWD) and 250 km/h (Performance)

Torque: 493 Nm (RWD) and 660 Nm (Performance)

Weight: 1909kg (RWD) and 1997kg (Performance)

Dimensions: L 4751 mm, W 1921 mm, H 1624 mm

Design & look

The Tesla Model Y has the same slick and minimalist look as the rest of the Tesla range, with the Model Y, also featuring a slick coupe-SUV style silhouette.

Rather than a key, you use what looks like a credit card to start the car, which you tap in front of the armrest to get things going.

In terms of driving, you will quickly get used to the one-pedal system, which brakes the car and captures energy when you take your foot off, meaning you can just use the one pedal if you want to, though there is a brake pedal as well.

However, you might find visibility is a bit low thanks to the sloping roof in the back, giving you only a tiny view from the driver’s seat.

Like the Tesla Model 3, the Model Y offers excellent performance and a comfortable ride. However, you may find yourself a little jostled over potholes or bumpy roads.

There has been an over 50% increase in space to give a massive 854 litres of storage space in the boot, making it one of the largest in the small to mid-size SUV category. You also get a large ‘frunk’ with 117 litres of available storage space and the seats also completely fold down, which is very handy. 

Features and interior

The inside of the Tesla Model Y is appealing thanks to its minimalist design with just one large tablet-style screen and no extra displays or buttons cluttering the space. It is also very user-friendly, similar to an iPhone, for example.

It has an amazing high-end 13-speaker sound system, perfect for those long road trips when you need the tunes to keep yourself (and the kids) occupied!

However, the screen does come with some drawbacks. You might not like the fact that there’s no heads-up display, so you have to look to the side to see your speed, for example.

You adjust most things in the car using the screen, including moving the wheel and changing your mirror angles, which is certainly something to get used to. However, there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but there’s not much need for it as the screen has all the apps you’d likely need anyway.

One very cool trick that all Teslas have is the ability to use the smartphone app to set pretty much anything in the car, such as the temperature, the heated seats, the navigation and more, which is very handy! Speaking of smartphones, you can also wirelessly charge two phones, as long as you don’t have a bulky case on a large phone.

The Tesla Model Y is very comfortable and looks luxe with vegan leather seats and suede trim. The driver and front passenger also have a higher seating position than the Model 3. As a result, you have a more commanding view of the road and a flat floor, which the Model 3 also doesn’t have. This makes the space feel larger, which is also helped by the fact the ceiling has also been raised, giving more headroom.  On top of this, the comfy back seats have two recline positions. 

The front doors feature large bins and two cup holders in the centre console. All seats can also be heated, which is always good for those trips to the snow in winter!

You have increased legroom in the rear, with the middle seat having the most room at their feet. Rear passengers also get small bottle holders, door bins, and two more cupholders in the centre armrest.

Performance

The Tesla Model Y is not as fast as the Model 3, probably thanks to its heavier weight, but it is still a very powerful and fast car with an 82.0 kWh battery pack!

In terms of range, you get 455km with the Rear Wheel Drive variant and 514km with the Performance, so you can comfortably get from Canberra to Sydney on a single charge!

The Tesla Model Y offers a Type 2 charger and a CSS Supercharger, giving a solid 11kW charge rate on AC and then 250kW on a DC charger. If you visit a Supercharger, you can get around 300km of range in just five minutes.

The car’s consumption claim of 14.6kWh/100km is excellent and better than many other EVs on the market, with the Performance variant sitting at 15.4kWh/100km, which is still very good.

Safety and warranty

The Tesla Model Y doesn’t have an official ANCAP five-star rating just yet. However, it is closely related to the Model 3, which does have one.

You get a long list of safety features, including blind-spot warning, automatic braking, semi-autonomous lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise, and speed sign recognition, just to name a few.

You can also add on the Enhance Autopilot for $5100 which adds hands-free automatic parking, the Summon feature, which allows the car to manoeuvre itself around carparks in certain scenarios, as well as automatic lane changes on freeways and Navigate on Autopilot. You can also add on Tesla’s Full Self Driving for $10,100. However, the car isn’t legally allowed to drive itself, so we wouldn’t recommend this add-on!

The Tesla Model Y also offers two ISOFIX points and three top-tether child-seat mounting points in the backseat.

The Model Y offers a four-year and 80,000km full-car warranty, with an eight-year and 192,000km battery and drivetrain warranty.

The car has condition-based servicing and will tell you when it needs to go to a Tesla workshop.

Summary

So, whether it’s advanced technology, performance, comfort or the loads of fun extras, you can see why the Model Y is an excellent addition to the Tesla range.  The excellent range and impressive storage and space really make it a great car for travelling, particularly with the family. 

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